His action beat every stretch of imagination! On August 24, 13-year-old Daniel Ohikhena found his way into the tyre hold of an airplane at the Benin Airport. He hid in that compartment until the Arik Air Plane got to the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. How did he beat security checks to hide in the tyre compartment of all places? Did he know the implication of his action? Daniel has since been released to the Edo State government by the State Security Service (SSS) which kept him for days. What did the SSS find out from him? KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports
The aviation sector is once again in the eyes of the storm over the stowaway story of a teenage boy who beat security checks at the Benin Airport to get into the tyre compartment of an aircraft belonging to Arik Air that landed at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Like a movie with an intriguing plot, the circumstances leading to how the boy got into the aircraft tyres before it landed in Lagos are still unfolding.
Allegation of dereliction of duty is being levelled on Arik Air and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),Captain Folayele Akinkuotu said the regulator is investigating the circumstances that may have led to the incident, promising to sanction any party found wanting in the incident.
Master Daniel Oikhena was released last Tuesday after he spent 11 days with operatives of the State Security Services (SSS), apparently answering questions on how he got into the tyre compartment of Arik Air aircraft as a stowaway from Benin Airport.
Though he has been released to officials of the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to undergo another round of questions at a correctional facility, the effect of his adventure flight in the tyre compartment of the aircraft still remains a huge puzzle to watchers and players of the sector.
As the industry was coming to terms with the adventure of Daniel, another resident around the Benin Airport, Mr Leroy Ugaga, 25, was arrested last Monday for runway incursion at same Benin Airport.
The man described as a trespasser, according to FAAN, was trying to gain entry to the airside, before he was arrested.
Aviation experts say the incident has exposed the industry where issues of security and safety at airports has polarised the sector.
Questions are being raised as to how the teenager found his way into the tyre compartment.
Could there be insider threat or abuse? Was there any security lapse at the Benin Airport? Could the infraction have occurred because of lack of perimeter fencing at the airport?
These are some of the questions the tripartite investigation being carried out by FAAN, NCAA and the SSS would answer in the days ahead.
Some experts in the sector have raised concerns over the failure of the pilot to abort the flight after some passengers observed that they saw a boy around the aircraft when it was set to take off at the runway.
An aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (Rtd), said the pilot ought to have aborted the flight and get airport security personnel to double check the aircraft before finally embarking on the trip.
Ojikutu said: “What happened in Benin Airport, you need to find out the security programme of the aerodrome. Every airport and airline that operate there ought to have a security programme in place.
“What is the status of the airport access control? What is the status of the airport perimeter fence for a teenager to pass through access control to enter the airport and enter the aircraft?
According to him, there is need to take a second look at the security programme and that of the airlines operating from the airport.
“The airline has a security programme in place. A passenger observed that he saw somebody under the aircraft. What was reasonable for the pilot to have done according to regulation, was for the pilot to abort take off.
“It was for the pilot to turn the aircraft back, do an inspection on the aircraft, ask all passengers to disembark, do a proper check, search the aircraft to ensure there was nothing before allowing the aircraft to take off.
“What is FAAN’s security programme for access control and perimeter fencing? I have said one thing clearly and it is that there is no airport in this country that has a security fence. What we have is a perimeter fence which is only complying with Annex 14 of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It is not aviation security. For you to comply with Annex 17, is for the airport authority to have a security fence,” he said.
The retired Airforce chief said the best that could be done with the perimeter fence is to enhance it with adequate security measures for it to be Annex 14-compliant, lamenting that the MMIA does not have a security fence. No airport in this country has a security fence, the best they have is a perimeter fence, he added.
“I have been telling them since 2006 that we do not have a security fence around the airports. What we have is mere perimeter fence and the government is building terminal buildings around the whole place.
“So, we need a security fence. Everything borders on access control and perimeter fence. There is no control. ICAO prescribes that you must provide six metres control from the fence, this does not exist in Nigeria.
“The security arrangement in Nigeria as it affects airport perimeter fence does not meet the requirements if Annex 17 of ICAO on security, not a single airport,” he said.
He said further FAAN was complying with Annex 14 of ICAO, which does not cover airport security, stressing that it only tells the boundary of the land area. “You must comply with Annex 17, which is security. If you do not have sufficient land to do it, you must be able to control the other side of your airport perimeter fence, which must be six metres away from the fence from outside.
“In Nigeria we cannot control it because people have built on the other side. So, we are not complying with Annex 17. This problem now is the problem of NCAA, it should go and investigate in Benin, the nature of the perimeter fence, the nature of the access control,” he added.
According to him, NCAA should look at the airport security arrangement, once it discovers any deficiency, it should do an audit or a survey of the airport and act on its findings.
“NCAA needs to do that very quickly. It needs nobody to tell it, especially under the condition we are with the obvious security challenges including Boko Haram.
“But they are not doing that, yet the agencies are making noise. If there is any breach of the security programme, there should be sanctions,” he insisted.
An industry analyst, Olu Unhunayo said: “This is not the time to trade blame, what if the boy was carrying a bomb? Please we should put heads together on how to solve this matter. FAAN and the airline are to be blamed. There is no perimeter fence at our airports, all the airports must be fenced to keep people or animals from straying into the airport environment especially the runway.”
Speaking through its Media Officer, Mr Banji Ola, Arik Air, said: “The pilot of Arik Air flight W3 544, departing Benin Airport for Lagos at 9.00am today August 24, 2013 reported to the control tower the presence of a strange boy in the bush about 200 – 300 meters at the end of Runway 23.
“Officials at the Control Tower told the captain that they were sending security men to the place to arrest the boy. As the captain was making his final turn, preparatory for take-off, a cabin crew called his attention to the information by some of the passengers that they saw a boy running towards the airplane. The First Officer confirmed that they had observed it earlier and alerted the control tower which responded that they have sent the patrol team to arrest the boy.
“The captain again reported to the control tower and was informed that the situation was under control and that he had been cleared for take-off. On arrival at the domestic wing of MMA, Lagos, a teenage boy, who apparently had sneaked into the aircraft main wheel well jumped out and was arrested by Arik personnel and handed over to FAAN security.”
The management of the airline expressed shock over the incident wondering how the teenager beat the aviation security personnel at the Benin Airport to get to the runway.
Arik Air’s Managing Director Mr Chris Ndulue said: “We are worried by the incessant security lapses at our airports. We are appealing to the management of FAAN to immediately address the problem.”
Reacting to the indictment by Arik Air, FAAN’s General Manager, Mr Yakubu Dati said it is regrettable that the airline is holding the airport authority liable for the infraction.
He explained that Arik Air acted with impunity, by not stopping the aircraft to check when the crew and ground personnel ‘s attention was drawn to an abnormality on the Tarmac.
According to Dati, the procedure for such infraction is for the crew to abort the flight and return to the apron for check-up. “It is revealing that Arik Air accepted that their attention was drawn to the presence of foreign bodies on the tarmac. Why they ignored this vital safety precaution reveals their disdain for following safety procedures,” he said.
He blamed the airline for the problem, warning that the airport authority will not tolerate such infraction from any operator.
He said: “This is an arrant display of impunity. The aircraft should not have taxied further, but return to the apron until a proper check is carried out on all parts of the aircraft.
“FAAN will not tolerate such impunity henceforth from Arik or any airline. Any violation would be met with applicable sanctions.
“The facts of the matter as FAAN’s investigation has revealed, are completely different to the Arik account.Our investigations reveal that a passenger on board the flight called the attention of the cabin crew while the aircraft was waiting to take off at the threshold of the runway, to the effect that they had seen a young boy walk under the aircraft and had not seen him reappear either side.
“The cabin crew in turn informed the pilots in the cockpit about this. The pilots called the control tower and asked them to request FAAN to do a sweep of the area after their departure, opting to carry on with their flight despite the report.
“Immediately upon the departure of the aircraft, FAAN’s security did another sweep of the area and found nothing unusual. Upon the arrival of the aircraft in Lagos, we were informed that there had been a stowaway found alive alighting from the wheel well of the aircraft,” he said.
According to him, given that security is a responsibility for all players in the industry, a critical last opportunity to detect and prevent this stowaway was offered and had the airline taken the information by passengers as seriously as they should have, this incident would have been avoided.
He said FAAN was dealing with a number of legacy problems stemming from neglect over the years. “One of these is the perimeter fencing of airports across the country, which either did not exist before or have deteriorated significantly. A decision was made by this administration to prioritise the perimeter fencing of every FAAN airport. This is a major undertaking and we are following an aggressive program to achieve this at all its 22 airports,” Dati said.
He said as a result of the incident, FAAN has further tightened risk amelioration procedure to ensure that a similar incident does not occur.
He said since 2011, the fencing of major airports across the country has started with some level of completion in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Lagos.
Dati said the fencing of other airports is in line with the infrastructure upgrade of the airports, but that the project was delayed because of inadequate funds.
He said the government is considering fast-tracking of funding to see the airport perimeter fencing through.
Dati said: “We have already started the perimeter fencing of all airports in the country in terms of planning. But, we are doing in phases, sector by sector. It is part of of the strategy of the airport security master plan. The delay in the project is due to the myriad of challenges the sector is going through.
“The remodelling of the airports has attained up to 90 per cent with the installation of safety and security equipment are completed.
“The fencing of the major airports are on going, because of the importance we attach to safety. We have also strengthened our procedure for safety by improving on ramp inspection of the tarmac through the synergy we have with other security agencies.
“But, the major challenge we have now is inadequate funding and the procedure for getting approval.
“Security remains on the front burner to ensure we meet the requirement for airport certification,” he said.
He continued: “We have sent our security officials to carry out investigations about the circumstances that led to the incident in Benin Airport.
“Anybody found guilty will receive appropriate sanctions. Government will execute appropriate sanctions, wherever the leakage is we are going to look at it. The teenager did not beat our security. It is just that the airline pilot was not patient to have gone back for another check. The teenager was detected, the pilot did not do back to go for review,” he said.
An aviation industry union leader, Comrade Benjamin Okewu, said the airlines, FAAN, and all the security agencies must work together, to nip in the bud any security breach and there must be 24-hour patrol around the perimeter fence of the airport.
FAAN said it has taken additional security measures to forestall runway incursions at all the airports, especially those without perimeter fences. This is in response to the recent stowaway incident that occurred at the Benin Airport on August 24, 2013.
First, at every airport without fully functional perimeter fence, a FAAN security vehicle will be deployed to a point within full view of the aircraft as it taxies out to take off and maintain visual scrutiny and if necessary to respond to any situation until every departing aircraft is safely airborne.
Secondly, bushes at all airports are to be cleared to ensure full view of the perimeter, to allow both the control tower, FAAN Fire and Rescue observation posts and aviation security patrol teams have a sweeping view of the perimeter of an airport from their duty posts.
Again, static observation posts will be erected at strategic locations within the perimeter fence of the airports to forestall premeditated and inadvertent unauthorised access to the airside. This will be complemented by motorised and foot patrols.
FAAN lamented that the absence of perimeter fences at most of the airports poses a challenge to it because of the huge capital required in their construction, adding that some of them are as long as 40 kilometres.
